Jim Keller

Jim,

 

So far i could say "Yes" but my day has tendency of imploding sometimes, but defiantly are planing to be there.

 

 

See you at DV Expo

 

 

Cheers,

I'll be sure to drop by and say Hi, and I imagine there are a few others who lurk around these parts who plan to be there, too. Looking forward to seeing the new stuff. :)

Speaking as a producer, any producer who isn't willing to put something in writing is up to no good.

Remember that to sell the idea of a deal memo to your clients, use the "this protects both of us," line. Emphasize to them that if you've got a deal memo in place, they've got your time locked in, but if they don't, and someone calls who is willing to put it in writing, you've got to go with the sure thing.

I'd recommend, however, having reasonable cancellation / reschedule terms as part of the deal memo. Financing does fall through from time to time, through no fault of the producer (especially as the venture capital gets more scarce due to turmoil in the markets). Dates do need to change, through no fault of the producer. Making the terms reasonable for the producer, but insisting that things be done above-board and with a paper trail will probably move you up in the estimation of the producers you want to work with, and hopefully scare of the no-good ones.

Are you, perchance, planning to be at the DV Expo next month?

I'm going to be an iconoclast here and say that watching other movies is a great way to do something derivative. If you want to do something original, sit down with a good production designer (and there are many out there, many of whom earn their livings in theatre and would be thrilled to do a short to help them build their on-camera resume) and design a look that's right for the tone, character, and theme of YOUR film. No one knows what the future will look like, so make it be what's right for your story.

One great way to do time lapse is with a still camera. To get 3 hours of time down to 3 minutes, simply fire the shutter (preferably on a cable release to minimize camera shake) every 60 seconds. Then import all the stills as an image sequence into your editing software. That way you don't have any jumps where you had to change tape/reels in the middle. (Obviously, this is easier with a digital camera, as roll changes can seriously mess you up, and scanning over 4000 pictures would be a pain to say the least.)

Also, if you're shooting on film, there are motion picture cameras available that can accept a cable release and fire one frame at a time. Again, since you're only shooting the frames you're going to use, you don't need to worry about jumps during the reel changes.

Hello

 

I'm a student filmmaker in my third year of my degree and im making a short film. I have my locations and scripts and im ready to shoot with the exception of a cast. Does anybody know any websites to advertise for people in my area (St Helens, Merseyside, United Kingdom) or other successful ways to find a cast. Having no budget i believe is the main problem but im sure other students for example will want the experience of being on a shoot.

 

Thanks in advance.

Simon

I don't know your area, but you may try a web search and see if you can find a professional casting director in the area. Many will cut students an extremely steep discount in the interest of building relationships for later.

It's electric!

::twap!::

Actuallly, I was ancillarily involved in a production down in Watts about a decade ago. I was pleasantly surprised by what a nice neighborhood it had actually become in the decades since the riots. I'm told it still has a gang problem, but I found the homes to be well-maintained, the neighbors friendly, and the streets clean. Haven't been down there recently, though...

The general rule with treatments is that any dialogue or description should be rare and very important. It really is meant to be a plot summary, not a narrative in its own right. That said, it does need to be compellingly written in order to sell your film, so take the time to wordsmith it.

When arguing with a producer, remember it's all about money. Make sure to inform them that a student crew is not cheaper, and why. Draw the graph of time wasted and overlay the equipment rental rate card on top of that if you have to. Show them what payouts for on-set injuries really run. Compare film grosses if you have to. You need to convince them that it's cheaper to do it right... not better.

That said, there obviously are times when going with a student crew is a great idea. A student film being the obvious example. But anything that needs to be done on zero-budget with a high tolerance for quality variations is often best tasked to a pack of eager college kids (viral videos and aspiring actor demo reels spring to mind). So be sure to emphasize that there's a time and a place for student crews, but this ain't it.

And the other thing to bear in mind, at least here in L.A., the students are wise to this and don't work for free any more anyway, so the producers who try it just slow down their production by three weeks as they wait for answers and wonder why the three calls they've gotten were all from people who've never been on a set before but would love to learn. :)

I don't suppose your studio has a skylight does it? I had good luck shooting an ice sculpture under a skylight once. It was on a white tablecloth so I got a lot of bounce. The skylight provided a nice broad wash that was still very directional to bring out the details. And all this for less heat than I would have gotten had I needed to set up studio lights.

I concur that if your only script is under option, you need to be hammering out something else. But if the choice is $1 option or remain an unproduced, never-sold-anything screenwriter, by all means take the $1 option.

If there's a choice between a $1 option and a $10,000 option, I hope I don't need to tell you which one to take...

Obviously, it depends on the shots you need, but simple dowels painted with a metallic finish should do the trick for most conventional "jail" scenes.

there are scattered cases of $1 options working, but they are notoriously bad ideas, especially with neophyte producers. if i'm wrong and she's a heavy hitter, disregard my advice. if the script is good enough to option, it's good enough to pay actual $ for the right.

(Bearing in mind that I primarily work as a producer and therefore have a genetic need to get as much out of people as I can with as little cash outlay as possible...)

I think a $1 option is a great deal for someone who is starting out and is unlikely to be able to sell the screenplay elseways. You can honestly say in your next interview/pitch session "I've got a screenplay that's currently under option," and that's every bit as real as if you were paid WGA minimum for the option. It's very true that if someone else is willing to take a risk on your writing, that makes you more attractive to everyone else. And since all rights revert back to you at the end of the option, if you believe in the screenplay you can always bootstrap the production later on.

Now, once you're established, you need to start getting real money for the options you grant. But until then, the $1 option is an important rung in the ladder.

I keep hearing about some place in LA called, Compton. What's that place like?

Have you even seen Escape from New York? Kinda like that, only with cops shooting back.

Perhaps a good voiceover is whats needed. I tried my own and I tried to hire one. Me not being very good and hiring one would cost lots. Im not a fan of titles or giving to much plot away.

Sadly, what you really need is Don LaFontaine. Anyone else is going to sound like you couldn't afford Don LaFontaine. :)

I, for one, am going to jump to your defense on the "no plot" criticism. I very much took this to be a teaser trailer, and I don't mind when teaser trailers don't give much away. In fact, I prefer it to the trailers where I finish watching it and think, "At least I don't need to see the movie now. I know the whole story."

But I remain in the camp that the pre-vis animation isn't the best approach. Any hope of getting production started (enough to get a real trailer with the actual talent put together) and then going after "completion funds"? :)

Do you have the freedom to black out the windows? Not having daylight streaming in is the most important thing for making an interior look like nighttime.

I have a JVC GR-HD1 (HDV) camera at home, and a Panasonic AG-HVX200 (P2/DV) at work. Now, the HD1 has a few issues unrelated to HDV or not, but on the whole, I'm going to say that the question of whether HDV is good enough or not really depends on what you're planning to do.

For example, if you're planning any digital effects, the HDV footage is going to be too compressed for your effects artists to work with cleanly. (We have issues with the compression on the HVX200.) I've found HDV compression becomes very visible in scenes with subtle gradients, so moody lighting becomes much harder to pull off.

But, if your talking about a predominantly character-oriented story where the cinematography is not the focus, then HDV is just fine for a first feature. Remember that first features should be treated as a learning experience, not a way to get rich. In general, the way first features break even is when -- years later -- someone says, "Oh, look! It's so-and-so's first feature!"

If you've got the money to finish on 35mm, frankly, you've got the money to shoot on 35mm. Otherwise, you're building your experience, building your reputation, and creating a legacy for later, and your focus should be on telling a good story as cheaply as you can. The storytelling is what will get people to notice you, and give you the 35mm budget for the next one.

Personally, I'm not fond of using pre-vis animation in a trailer, because I find myself watching the animation (which is always clunky) and not the content. But I think your selection of shots, music, editing, etc. is solid.

In place of the MPAA card (which you shouldn't use unless the MPAA has actually screened and approved the trailer) you may want to consider putting up a card that explains that the "trailer" is pre-visualization and not the visual aesthetic of the final production.

Hi.

 

I'm recording a ton of footage for a friends band, but as they are cheap they aren't paying for the stock, I'm using my own.

 

At my college we have a degausser, which magnetically wipes the tapes ready to re-used again.

 

My question is, how much quality is going to be lost by degaussing the tapes and re-using them? Technically speaking, how bad is it re-using stock? I know it's not professional, but I'm recording a lot of footage and this isn't being sold.

 

cheers.

Dan.

I can't give you a quantitative answer, but we have a policy of never re-using tapes, because we've found that even on the second use the chance of dropout seems to increase dramatically.

That said, there are some stocks which will almost always drop out when brand new (not naming names, Sony), so I'm sure there are others that are more robust on re-use.

Really, though, tape is one of the cheapest elements on a production, so do everything in your power not to cheap out on it.

'Zactly. Even though there is a lack of good scripts.

Personally, I think the lack of good scripts is a function of writers trying to work in a vacuum, not lack of ability on the writers' part. With a producer saying, "this is what I can sell," and a director saying, "this is what I can direct," the writers now have a framework to do their magic within. The very best writing that I see here at work comes from writing to fill a need, not writing for the sake of writing. Searching for a good, produceable spec script is likely to be a painful process, but working with a writer to create something produceable is not only feasible, it's (I think) the best way to work.

It´s very hard to write a good script.

Who says you need to write a film in order to direct it? Make friends with some writers, get them in on the ground floor, and produce something together. Collaborations are always stronger than vanity projects.

I've walked right up to the screen and had the projectionist rack slowly thru focus. The optics don't resolve those 1/4" pixels, which is a good thing for two reasons. First, you need a reconstruction filter, it's part of sampling theory. Second, if they were razor sharp, they'd moire against the sound perforations in the screen.

-- J.S.

I guess this depends on the theater then. I've been in rooms where the pixels are patently obvious from the back row.

Thanks, I was thinking to use a studio 5k outside with quarter cto with tungsten film to give it that orange street light. and some red on a flicker to mimic a street light blinking. I just need some ideas making the talent and furniture separated from the background without everything being way darker. I was thinking of floating some keno's and bouncing them for fill. I just don't know have many ideas on how to light the walls and furniture.

-nick

Since you're building your own set, don't discount the power of painting it in "night colors" (highly desaturated, darker tones), which would then let you separate your cast from the background the old fashioned way -- with some subtle backlight. As long as the light from the street is dominant in the audience's eye (and I think that sounds like an excellent choice), they won't really notice the backlight.

I know this sounds flippant, but the answer is "charge as much as the client is willing to pay you, but no more."

If the client thinks you're worth $10, then you need to decide if $10 is worth your hassle. But why take $5 when you could get $10? If the client thinks you're worth $1 million, you need to decide if you'll put up with the client for $1 million. But why take $10 when you could get $1 million?

Sadly, there's no "standard" rate, except the union minimums (which I don't have at my disposal). But remember that it's assumed that if you're hiring a union crew, you're getting experienced professionals who won't be wasting time "learning" on a set. Non-union rates run anywhere from "It's good for your reel" to quite a bit more than union minimum.

My advice is, figure out how much you need to get paid (note that's "need" and not "want") to make it worth your time and trouble, and ask for that. Then the next time an opportunity comes up, you can haggle up or down based on whether or not your rate is working out for you.

All the books I've read have said that the best way to start your career as a producer-director is to start with a low budget horror movie, just "take a bunch of kids to a cabin and chop them up" style of movie.

::rolls eyes::

For crying out loud, start by directing what you're good at. Making a lousy horror film will do nothing to help your career, and will only serve to discourage you.

That said, I do advise that you make your first feature-length project as cheaply as is humanly possible. The process of directing a long-form project will teach you an enormous amount, and (even if it's a slasher film) the odds against recouping the investment are astronomical.

Treat it as a learning experience, make it as good a movie as you can, and then you have something to build on in the future. Following the herd won't make you stand out.